Teddy bears are a universal soft toy for children but do you know about their origins. Most people probably know that their name derives from President Roosevelt but there is a lot more to find out about their history. In this article we'll take a brief look at the history of the teddy bear.

The story starts in the very early twentieth century and the appearance of a cartoon that was drawn by Clifford Berryman. The cartoon was titled "Drawing the Line in Mississippi" and shows President Theodore Roosevelt who was involved in a dispute about boundaries. The dispute settled the president then went bear hunting but the hunt wasn't very successful as there were no full sized bears to be found. Eventually a small cub was found but the president didn't want to shoot this innocent baby bear. The cartoon shows President Roosevelt as he refused to shoot this small creature.

The cartoon was printed in the Washington Post in November of 1902 and was subsequently reprinted in other newspapers and became widely known. A small bear was created and placed in the window of a store in Brooklyn, owned by Morris and Rose Michtom and called Teddy's Bear. It was so popular that they went into production with the Butler Brothers who were a wholesale firm and the first 'teddy bear' was invented. The very first company to produce teddy bears was this partnership which became the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.

Teddy bears became extremely popular during the early twentieth century and were adopted as the official by Roosevelt for his re-election campaign. The popular song 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' was written by J.K.Bratton during this time and by the 1920's teddy bears were being manufactured widely. All types of teddy bears in different colors and materials were produced until the years of the depression when manufacture slowed considerably until the 1970's when popularity soared again.

Teddy bears are more popular today than ever and older bears are collectors items commanding high prices at auction. Teddy bears are not just for children. A pink teddy bear is a popular gift for girlfriends for birthdays and Valentines day and teddy bears of all colors make wonderful gifts for new babies or children's birthday presents.